My son has a flock of 11, 2 yr old Rhode Island Reds. They were producing between 8-9 eggs daily until this October. Now they are down to 4-5 eggs/day....I (grandma) even bought them a seed block esp for chickens and it did not help. Some of them are molting. Is this normal or what should we do?
This is normal production during molting season. Actually... this is pretty dang good production during molting season. I have about 20 currently laying hens and I'm lucky to get 5-6 eggs a day. My best layer has been out of commission for almost 2 months already! You can switch them to a higher protein feed to encourage a quicker recovery from molt. An 18% grower/flock raiser makes an excellent choice. If you can, purchase a small bag of oyster shells and toss a handful or so eat every day or two to supplement your girls who are still laying.
Production drops off during molt - the birds' system direct all resources to the regrowth of a healthy new set of feathers and that means away from "extra" activities like egg production. It is also not uncommon for them to "lay-off" for the winter after the big fall molt - so you may be a bit lean on eggs for a while. This is when it is helpful to have a flock of more than one age group -- for example, starting the first group last year and enjoying eggs all winter/spring/summer; then starting a new group of chicks this spring so that just as the first group goes into their big molt (and stops laying) your new birds are starting to lay so they pick up the slack - lather, rinse, repeat each year.
Thank you both so much for the info....I will relay to my son....I love this site...it's so helpful to the new poultryraising people!!!!!!
Get a bag of Nutrena Feather Fixer feed. Feed it to birds over 16 weeks.....and molting birds. Excellent results. Also has technology which helps prevent and treat mites. Get at Tractor Supply and other stores. search BYC for "feather fixer" feed to see excellent results. http://www.nutrenaworld.com/products/poultry/naturewise-poultry/feather-fixer/ Best, Karen
